Atelier
“We want to be everyone’s friend. If you make stuff, we want to see it, support it, and tell you how you can do this too.” That is the heart of Atelier, a small, thoughtfully curated shop on Pierpont Avenue in downtown Salt Lake City, run by best friends Malinda Fisher and Olivia Henrie.
Malinda and Olivia met in 2015, both selling their handmade wares at a small clothing boutique downtown. They did not know then that years later, they would open a shop of their own - one that reflects not only their artistic talents, but also their deep appreciation for community and craft. Their friendship remains as strong as ever. “We’ve been best friends for ten years now,” Malinda said. “That’s not going anywhere.”
Malinda was born and raised in Salt Lake. From an early age, she gravitated toward creating things with her hands. “Always making jewelry, always crafting,” she recalled. “That was my favorite.” She spent her teenage years frequenting shops in the 9th and 9th district and Trolley Square with her mom, dreaming about someday having one of her own. After starting a degree in ceramics at the University of Utah, she switched to business, recognizing that while she loved creating, she did not necessarily want to explain her art. She simply wanted to make it.
Malinda had already launched her jewelry line, Desert Rose, in 2010 - just out of high school. She worked retail jobs while building the business, including a long stint at JoAnn Fabrics, where she immersed herself in sewing and materials. She eventually landed at a boutique called Q Clothing, which later transitioned into Maeberry Vintage. It was there she met Olivia, who was selling her own handmade home goods and ceramics under the name Innerspacism. “She had such a cool eye,” Malinda said. “Her displays always looked like a real shop.” The two became fast friends.
After graduating in 2015 with her business degree, Malinda began managing Boozetique, just down the street. When she decided to leave, she moved her jewelry bench into Olivia’s garage - already cleverly transformed into a mini storefront for her online shop. The concept of opening a brick-and-mortar space began as daydreams while driving around the city together. It became a reality thanks to a tip from a friend whose neighbor, a University of Utah professor, was leaving her 300-square-foot studio on Pierpont. “It was tiny,” Malinda laughed. “But it was perfect. Just enough room for my bench and Olivia’s work up front.”
Malinda and Olivia ran that first location for nearly five years, taking turns managing the store while working other jobs - Malinda as a barista at The Rose Establishment, Olivia as a freelance gardener. They never took out a loan. They just built everything slowly and intentionally.
Now, in their dream space just a few doors down from their original storefront, Atelier is a vibrant hub of handmade and vintage goods. Malinda’s Desert Rose jewelry sits in a case, and Olivia’s ceramic animals, dish ware, and welded plant stands are arranged throughout the shop. They work with over thirty other artists, mostly local, to offer a wide range of items: greeting cards, perfumes, nail polish, tea, salt, olive oil, dried flowers, and honey. There is also a rich selection of ceramics - bowls, mugs, vases, and plates - along with art prints, original paintings, glass pieces, and a curated collection of secondhand and handmade clothing. “We both love to shop,” Malinda admitted. “So, we tried to create a space with all the things we would want to find.”
Atelier operates under the same ethos as their early days at Maeberry Vintage: artists keep 100% of what they sell in exchange for helping in the store. It is less a business model and more a philosophy. “We do not like to be gatekeepers,” Malinda said. “We want to see more shops like this in Salt Lake.”
When asked if there were plans to move to another location, Malinda's immediate response was, “There’s nothing else like this downtown, and we love being here. We’re part of this street’s story, and it’s part of ours.”
